LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI Has $12.93 Million Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI decreased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 211,471 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,702 shares during the period. Kroger makes up 1.4% of LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI’s holdings in Kroger were worth $12,931,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hilltop National Bank grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 15,370 shares of the company’s stock worth $940,000 after acquiring an additional 3,476 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Kroger by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 160,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,211,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 35.3% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Park National Corp OH boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 14,343 shares of the company’s stock worth $877,000 after buying an additional 775 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 45,892 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,806,000 after buying an additional 11,013 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on KR shares. UBS Group upped their target price on Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $65.93.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total value of $1,040,302.08. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 53,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,304,366.08. This trade represents a 23.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Stuart Aitken sold 132,627 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.18, for a total value of $8,379,373.86. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 217,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,743,103.14. The trade was a 37.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 195,448 shares of company stock valued at $12,143,923. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR stock traded up $0.69 on Friday, hitting $59.59. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,820,034 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,795,228. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $44.48 and a fifty-two week high of $63.59. The company has a market capitalization of $43.12 billion, a PE ratio of 15.76, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.48. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $60.11 and its 200-day moving average is $56.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.19 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Kroger Company Profile

The Kroger Co operates as a food and drug retailer in the United States. The company operates combination food and drug stores, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouses. Its combination food and drug stores offer natural food and organic sections, pharmacies, general merchandise, pet centers, fresh seafood, and organic produce; and multi-department stores provide apparel, home fashion and furnishings, outdoor living, electronics, automotive products, and toys.